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Lost lake found By CHASE SQUIRES © St. Petersburg Times, published July 12, 1998 EPHYRHILLS -- Long-lost "Lost Lake" isn't lost anymore. It is in Paul Semanco's house. But Pasco County just might buy it. Backed by a federal disaster prevention grant, the County Commission on Tuesday will consider using grants to buy or alter 24 properties -- including the Lost Lake area -- in flood-prone areas to lower the potential cost of future disasters. Topping the list are nine properties off Wire Road, between Dade City and Zephyrhills in the Zephyr Oaks Court neighborhood. The low-lying area collected up to 6 feet of water during El Nino's downpours this winter. The area wasn't in a federally designated flood zone, so the flooding caught residents by surprise. But it turns out it is actually an old lake bed, according to a county report. A 1960 U.S. Geological Survey map developed with the Federal Insurance Administration lists the neighborhood as flood prone and identifies it as "Lost Lake." That information somehow never made it to modern flood maps. Meredith Genton, who watched her husband, Marc, build a sandbag wall to save their home this spring, said the couple never expected the flooding and never guessed they lived at the bottom of a lake. They eventually lost the house and moved to an apartment. All they ever noticed was a tiny pond in a nearby field. That pond swelled to swallow home after home in March as constant rains saturated the area. Even after months of drought, the reborn lake shows no signs of disappearing again. Some homes remain flooded, standing vacant in the water. Others have been irreparably damaged. Semanco lost three houses, his own and the homes of two relatives next door. He said he supports the county's desire to buy the parcels but boggled at the process. With his federal disaster loan packages ready to expire, he has been waiting for the county to take action. He hopes Tuesday is the final step. Lost Lake isn't just an imaginary spot on an old government map. David Cripe, 92, is a lifelong area resident and clearly remembers a lake in the area and the adjacent J.L. Greer sawmill that used the water to soak logs and prepare them for cutting. "We moved here in 1911, and it was going full bore," he said. "The train would come up and dump the logs right in the water, then they would stand on the logs and move them to this chain with hooks on it and pull them up a chute." The sawmill burned down. The last time Cripe remembers seeing the lake was in the 1920s. It's not clear if Lost Lake and the sawmill lake are one in the same, but the area is dotted with small lakes that swell and shrink with the weather and season. As the rains gave Lost Lake new life this spring, the federal government declared 57 of the state's 67 counties eligible for flood disaster aid. Then officials created a special grant fund, determined by using an amount equal to 15 percent of the total amount of individual home and business aid provided, to be used directly to reduce the chance of future disasters. Eric Poole, with the state's Division of Emergency Management, said counties were allocated money based on the severity of flooding. Pasco County reeled in $364,000. "This is all tied to a specific disaster," Poole said, "in this case, flooding. This money is specifically intended to reduce the likelihood of future damages." County mitigation program coordinator Debbie Bolduc said the state may be in line for an additional $2.3-million grant package, and the county could apply for more money. No matter what happens Tuesday, the process doesn't end there, Poole said. The county version must be cleared by the state, then checks can be directed after officials negotiate final purchase prices and deduct any earlier Federal Emergency Management Agency aid, Poole said. The whole process could take another six months. By then, Lost Lake could be gone again. Chase Squires covers east Pasco courts and the communities of Dade City, Saint Leo and San Antonio. He can be reached at (352) 521-5757, ext. 27. Send e-mail to squires@sptimes.com. Business | Citrus | Commentary | Entertainment Hernando | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco | Sports State | Tampa Bay | World & Nation © Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.